ED2012 Theatre Review: Machinal (Oxford University Dramatic Society)

‘Machinal’ will never be an easy play to produce. It requires strong performances in order to really make it zing, and unfortunately OUDS didn’t quite manage to pull it off. The energy levels were certainly high, and the pacing is enjoyably fast, but sadly this kineticism at times leads to a loss of coherence. This isn’t helped by the annoying factor of some of the cast aiming their lines towards the rear of the stage; last time I saw so much of the backs of actors’ heads I was watching porn. While the acting was by no means bad, it also wasn’t good enough to fully do the play justice, so I ultimately didn’t really care about the characters, or what happened to them.